Any aquarist is quite difficult to decide what kind of fish he wants to see in his aquarium. Of course, there are adherents of certain varieties. There are amateurs who keep only cichlids or goldfish. But much more, those who prefer to “mix” different representatives of underwater fauna. Most often, aquarists prefer pets that behave actively, and they are not boring to watch. This includes the denisoni barb.

Description of appearance

It is an active and interesting fish, which is interesting to many aquarists. It belongs to the carp family. Furthermore, it got its name from the governor of colonial India, whose name was William Thomas Denison. It was first discovered in the second half of the 19th century, just in the years when this man led this country.

Already from the history it is clear that this fish inhabits the territory of India, or rather, in its southern part. At the same time, the denisoni barb is an endemic. That is, in nature it is impossible to see it anywhere outside of this country.

Habitat – headwaters of rivers or newly formed water bodies that begin in the mountains. Also, these fish live in small lakes, ponds, where there is a rocky shore and a lot of thickets. The water in such reservoirs is saturated with minerals and its composition is very different, if compared with rivers on the plains. Unfortunately, local residents are actively fishing for barbs, which puts them at risk of extinction. The local authorities, due to this situation, have introduced restrictions on the export of fish outside the country.

Denisoni barbs are medium-sized fish. In length, they grow up to 11 cm. The body is flattened, elongated. Color silver. From the tail to the head stretches a black band with a bright red stroke. The dorsal fin has a reddish tint. The tail is almost transparent, with small black and yellow spots. It is rather problematic to distinguish the male from the female.

Aquarium keeping

These representatives of underwater fauna can hardly be called fastidious. All that they need for a comfortable life in captivity, if desired, you can easily provide. Actually, the conditions of keeping are as follows:

Aquarium

It is desirable that its volume starts from 200 liters. This is due to the fact that fish prefer a gregarious way of life. They feel comfortable in groups of 7 individuals. In solitude, they are not able to live alone, because by nature they are extremely fearful, and adult fish and hard to adapt to new conditions of content. At the same time, they grow up to 11 cm and behave actively. Accordingly, they must have a space where they can move freely;

Decorating

When designing an aquarium, you need to take into account the natural needs of these fishes. They are accustomed to dense thickets. Accordingly, the aquarist is better to plant live plants. But also do not forget that barbs are very active, so they need to allocate an area where there will be nothing but soil.

As a rule, when setting up an aquarium for these fish, observe the proportions of 50/50. That is, half of the space is filled with snags and plants, the rest – free space;

Water parameters

This criterion is probably the key when it comes to keeping denisoni barbs. It is important that the water was clean, with a minimum of organics. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out regular substitutions (from 30 to 50% of the total volume) with siphonage of the soil.

As for the parameters themselves, the temperature should be within 22-25 degrees, hardness – 8-12 dGH, acidity – neutral or slightly acidic environment, from 6.5 to 7.8 pH. It is also mandatory to have aeration and flow. That is, it is necessary to imitate the conditions in mountain reservoirs, where the water is clean, it has a rapid flow, and it has a certain hardness and acidity, due to the fact that it is in contact with rocks;

Soil

Fine pebbles, granite chips or river sand are good. They can be combined. The main thing is that they do not contain chemical impurities. Especially spectacular looks dark substrate. Therefore, you can add basalt.

Also, an important condition in keeping these fishes, the selection of diet. They have no special preferences in nutrition. Both plant food and fish feed are suitable for them. Therefore, their menu should include nutrients of all types. The main thing is that the food should sink, not float on the surface. If you want to make the color of fish brighter, you can give food with carotenoids, which is indicated on the package.

Compatibility with other fish

Denisoni barbus is a calm and timid fish that will not harm its neighbors. If the aquarium has enough volume to contain about 10 individuals, and there is still room, you can plant other representatives of underwater fauna. The main thing is that they are also not aggressive, and they are suitable for the conditions.

Diseases

If proper housing conditions are provided, there should be no health problems for pets. Diseases are often associated with deterioration of the habitat, as well as injuries and contact with fish that suffer from a transmissible disease. Therefore, in order to prevent an unfortunate outcome, it is necessary to:

1. Quarantine the fish (using disinfectants like methylene blue), which will then be relocated to a communal tank;
2. Do not plant aggressive individuals that may cause injury;
3. Try not to use decorations that the fish can hurt themselves on;
4. Monitor water parameters and feeding. At the first symptoms it is better to consult a specialist.

Breeding

In aquarium conditions, breeding these fish are not engaged in. At least, to date, there is no reliable information regarding the success of such operations. Spawning is possible either in the natural environment, or on special farms in Asia and Europe. For this purpose, special conditions are created (recreate the situation, as in nature) and use hormones.